


Pleasure is my Business

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-21
Updated: 2014-06-21
Packaged: 2018-02-05 13:30:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1820170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I'm an average man…he's a strange dog.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pleasure is my Business

**Author's Note:**

> About two years ago I wrote two fics where Emily was a high class escort and Hotch was one of her clients. Erin Strauss was her boss and it’s mentioned in the story that Erin is married to Dave. Imagine my surprise when they both started talking to me the other night in a universe I never thought I’d hear from again.

“This is our third date.” Dave said as he sipped his Glenfiddich.

“So it is.” Erin smiled some, focusing again on her steak and artichoke salad.

“I have to tell you how much I really appreciate that you haven’t just tried to get me into bed.”

“Really? Because I feel a little offended that you haven’t used me for my body.”

“We can change that if you'd like.” Dave said.

“Actually, it’s refreshing. I don’t go out enough; I don’t just spend time with people like I used to.”

“Why not?”

“I'm busy.” Erin replied. “Running a business in this town is not easy. I'm a woman and I have to earn my respect dollar by dollar.”

“What is it that you do again?”

“I'm in the entertainment business.”

“You're an actress?” Dave asked. “Believe me, I wouldn’t be shocked as you have a face that should be on the big screen. I just didn’t know DC had much of a movie industry.”

“There's actually a growing industry in the outlying suburbs and in Baltimore. But that’s not what I meant. I'm more of an agent. My clientele has very specific tastes and my actors are only top notch.”

“Have you done any commercials? My dog is fascinated with commercials for some reason. He loves that bear who sells laundry detergent. He makes me a little uncomfortable but if I try to change the channel, Mudgie growls at me.”

“Your dog is fascinated with commercials?” she laughed. “You're a strange man.”

“I'm an average man…he's a strange dog.”

“There's nothing average about you, David Rossi.” Erin shook her head.

It had been a long time since she dated anyone and there was a reason she picked Dave. Firstly, he was handsome. Secondly, he piqued her interests almost immediately. He was smart as hell, cocky, and had a wicked sense of humor. He had money in his pocket and a fast sports car. 

But he wasn’t living some midlife crisis. Dave was in his 50s and seemed to enjoy being so. He was letting his temples go gray and didn’t hide the slight paunch in his belly. It was obvious he still took very good care of himself. She hadn’t yet but Erin definitely planned to admire him when she got Dave out of his clothes.

“I think you're a breath of fresh air.” He said. 

“Why do you think that?”

He put his drink down and cut into his porterhouse. He’d gotten reservations at Morton’s for their date. It wasn’t the fanciest restaurant in the nation’s capital but it was one of the best. There was excellent ambience, wonderful service, and an extensive drink list. Not to mention beautiful steaks. 

The only thing more beautiful was the woman he was with. And Dave Rossi knew women. He knew a lot of women, each beautiful in her own way. There was something special about Erin Strauss. He only had to be in her company for a few minutes to know that. What a treat that she seemed as interested in him as he was in her. 

“I think a better question would be who wouldn’t think that.”

“Don’t make me like you.” Erin’s eyes were downcast as she said it.

“Do you have a tendency to make dates with men that you don’t like?”

“I used to.”

“What stopped you?”

“Business. I worked my way up from the bottom, well not quite the bottom. It was a long climb and there were times when I had to make nice with some who weren’t so delightful.”

“Ahh, welcome to Washington.” Dave smiled.

“Yeah, pretty much.” She nodded. “I'm not having that problem tonight.”

“So I will be getting laid?”

“Oh my God, David,” Erin covered her mouth as she laughed. God, how long had it been since she laughed out loud? How long since she felt butterflies in her stomach and the sound of someone’s voice made her slightly giddy? Ever since they made the plans earlier in the week, Erin had been a little punch drunk. She had to brush the feelings aside and work but whenever she had a few minutes to herself, the possibilities of this thing were her focus. “You don’t mince words, do you?”

“Not usually. I'm very attracted to you. What happens between us tonight isn’t going to change that. I can drop you off at your condo and believe me I'm going to call again. My life can get very busy but I want to make time for you.”

“You never told me what it was you do for a living.”

“I work for the Justice Department.” He replied.

“Are you serious?” she laughed again but this time it didn’t sound as enchanted. “What are you, some kind of secret agent?”

“No,” he held up his hand. “Scout’s honor. I'm in the BAU.”

“The what now?” Erin was drinking her wine a little faster. She couldn’t even believe this was happening. She needed that server to come back for a refill.

“I analyze the behavior of criminals so that I can catch them. I work for the FBI.”

“You mean like serial killers?”

“Sometimes.” Dave nodded.

“Huh. Is that why I've only seen you three times in nearly two months? I can't imagine people like that ever take time off.”

“I travel around the country doing analysis. I also lecture and I wrote a book. I've written a couple of books. So we’re the agent and the agent.”

“It appears that way.”

“So tell me more about your work. That teddy bear isn’t one of your actors, right?”

“No, I don’t represent him. It’s probably for the best since he doesn’t have a lot of range.” Erin said. “I'm more in the fantasy business.”

“Ahh.” The light of acknowledgment shone in Dave’s eyes and he nodded. “Now I see the cute little irony of starting from the bottom.”

“I have a Bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Barnard and a Masters in political science from Columbia. It’s funny the careers we fall into when nothing of the sort had ever crossed our minds.”

“How long has this been your career?”

“Some days it’s been too long.” Erin replied. “I've thought about retirement but I've kind of become a mother hen to my little group of misfits. If I don’t look out for them I'm afraid of who will.”

“I can't say I blame you there. Just so we’re on the same page…you're a prostitute right?” Dave lowered his voice to a whisper, leaning in closer so Erin would hear.

“We prefer the term escort, and no I'm not. I guess you could call me a madam but I don’t quite like that either.”

“What do you go by?” he asked.

“Boss or Ma'am. There was one client who liked to call me Principessa; I admit to enjoying that. This is going to be a problem isn’t it?”

“No.” Dave shook his head.

“No? So a federal Agent is just going to date a madam. God…only in DC.”

“I admit, in Butte, Montana this might not work out. What you do for a living isn’t who you are, Erin. I'm getting to know who you are better and I want to keep doing that.”

“I do too.”

The server finally came and refilled Erin’s Shiraz. She took nearly a quarter of it down in one sip. She would need to slow down, red wine always made her a bit loopy. She just had no idea that this conversation would come tonight. Erin would’ve been alright never telling Dave what she truly did for a living. He was still sitting there though, still looking at her with those intense brown eyes. He might never call again after dropping her off tonight but right now he seemed to be handling things well.

“So that’s what we’ll do. Are you enjoying your dinner?”

“It’s um, it’s delicious. I've always loved the food here though I am a bit more partial to Charlie Palmer.”

“I get that.” Dave said. “I always thought of Morton’s as more intimate and Charlie Palmer as more professional. They're making deals at every table.

“What did you write a book about?” Erin asked. She didn’t want the conversation to turn to making deals and doing business. 

“My first was about the deviant minds of serial killers. In fact it’s called _Deviance_ , which isn’t that clever but it’s what I had at the time. I've just kind of moved along from there.”

“Fascinating.”

“You're being facetious.”

“No,” Erin shook her head and sipped her wine. “Digging deep into the human mind is fascinating. I bet you don’t just do it for serial killers anymore.”

“I do have a tendency to profile people in the supermarket.” Dave said. “I don’t always want to but my brain works that way most of the time. You want to talk about fascinating…shopping carts say a lot about a person.”

“Have you profiled me?” she asked.

“Absolutely not.”

“Why not?”

“Because I knew you would kill me.” Dave replied.

“You'd have to profile me to know that.” Erin said.

“No, I’d only have to look at you to know that. My agent thinks I should write a novel. I told her that I'm not a writer.”

“How is one who writes multiple books not a writer?”

“I write what I know. Most non-fiction writers do, whether it’s a memoir, true crime, or algebraic equations. When you start moving into fiction, letting your mind go in any direction it pleases…I don’t have a lot of discipline.”

“That’s what I like about you.” Erin said.

“So you're really…?”

“Yes, David.”

“What's that like?” he asked.

“I'm a bit of a profiler myself. It’s surely not the world’s most difficult job but not as easy as Hollywood would have you believe.”

“Damn Julia Roberts.” He grinned.

“Exactly. It doesn’t turn you off? It doesn’t offend you?”

“No.”

“Why?” Erin asked.

“Why should it? I'm sure there are a million problems with it. There are a million problems with my job. I like you and when I like someone I do my best not to judge them. Sex sells, you sell it; and the world keeps turning.”

“I'm not a working girl anymore.”

“Damn right you're not. I bet you have a corner office in some high rise building that’s more professional than anyplace I've ever sat.”

“I have Queen Anne furniture.” Erin said.

“Nice.”

“There's something about you.”

“I get that a lot.” Dave smiled. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

“I'm afraid to say yes but I’ll bite.”

“This will be the last time I ask you about your profession. From this point on we’ll only converse about it if you bring up the subject. How does one get into your business?”

“It’s simpler than you think” Erin replied. “A night out for drinks with friends, a conversation that shocks you, then makes you laugh, then it makes you think, and then you say you'll try something new, have some kind of 20something adventure. You like the attention, you love the money, and you realize for the first time in your life though it would never seem like it to someone who isn’t doing what you're doing, you are in complete control of your destiny and your person. And that beats all the money and adventure in the world. I don’t just give young girls and boys sex and money, though those are nice things. 

“I give them autonomy. I have strict rules and guidelines in my business…this work is not for the weak. Girls aren't going to find Richard Gere and I spot those starry eyed dreamers a million miles away. I send them in the other direction; Hollywood isn’t on this coast. First and foremost, everything is business. Sex doesn’t even make the top 5 on the business model.”

“When can I see you again?” Dave asked.

“We’re not even done our third date and you're ready for our fourth?”

Oh yes, he was ready. Something about this woman made him feel fireworks all the way to the tips of his toes. He didn’t want to let her get away. What she did for a living didn’t deter him one bit. It made Erin all the more intriguing. 

He didn’t want to leer at her like a display at the zoo. He wanted to know her, laugh with her, have breakfast in bed with her. It had been a long time since Dave felt his way and he wanted the good times to linger. She probably had her pick of any man in that town, and surely already had a few.

“I'm ready to marry you but I'm Italian…we’re hopeless romantics.”

“You're going to make me blush. I don’t blush easily, David.”

“But you blush beautifully.”

“We should get the check.” Erin said.

“Don’t you want dessert?” he asked. “You told me that was always your favorite part of the evening. It was the only time you allowed yourself to engage in pure decadence for decadence sake.”

“I have something very sweet in mind as a matter of fact, back at my place, and it’s alright to overindulge. We should both enjoy it.”

“I like it already.”

Dave held up his hand to get the server’s attention. Erin wore a cheeky grin on her face and he wanted to kiss it. In a matter of minutes, he would get his chance.

***


End file.
